TJB
by Remigasm
Summary: When tired, frantic, new mom, Zoey, can't seem to get her newborn baby to settle down, her last resort is to call upon a close friend for help.


"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god." A panicked Zoey Barkow rocked her screaming baby, while crying herself.

"What am I doing? I can't be a mom. I haven't even named you yet." Zoey stood in her converted basement-turned nursery rocking the distressed baby boy, hoping to silence him. Much to her dismay, he was gradually getting louder and his face was blood red. "I'm a nurse. Why can't I get a baby to stop crying?"

She went over to his crib and layed him on the monkey patterned sheets. Holding him definitely was not helping.

"I just don't understand why you won't stop crying." She wiped tears from her own face. "Please baby, I just want to sleep."

She layed down on her own bed beside the crib and closed her eyes, giving up. She's tried bottles, toys, rocking, gas drops, and checked his diaper probably 15 times in the last 45 minutes. Her last resort was taking him to All Saint's , but her doctor warned her that new babies do cry, so she didn't have to hop to the emergency room every time he did.

Her eyes flew open. "Jackie. I have to call Jackie." She took a deep breath, then picked up her phone and dialed Jackie's number, which of course she knew by heart, without even having to think about it. The phone rang 4 times, then went to voicemail. She didn't want to be a bother, but she didn't know what else to do, so she called once again, then a third time, when Jackie finally answered.

"What, Zoey?" Jackie snapped.

"I need help, please. The baby, he won't stop crying and I've tried everything. I just want to go to sleep, but he's been crying for hours and my mom's still on her cruise and I just really don't know what to do." Her crying was almost as loud as the baby's at this point.

"Dammit, Zoey, it's 3am."

"I'm sorry, I just don't have anyone else."

"Why don't you take him to All Saint's?"

"My Pediatrician isn't there right now and I can't wait in that emergency room all night, especially when I'm sure there's nothing wrong with him. I'm just a shitty mom." She wiped her running nose on her over-sized sweatshirt sleeve.

"Zoey, you're not a shitty mom."

"Yes I am. He doesn't even have a name yet." She sighed.

"Okay, fine, bring him over here." Jackie hung up the phone, defeated.

Zoey picked up the baby, who was still screaming and sat him in his car seat, then threw on her jacket and crocks and stumbled out up the stairs and out the door. She hailed a taxi and was on her way.

The whole ride, she felt bad for the taxi driver because she how annoying the baby's crying was. When she arrived in front of Jackie's house, she wanted to tip the kind man extra, but all she had was the 10 dollar bill and three crumpled 1's from her jacket pocket. Her ride was only $9, so it was covered, but she would've liked to give him a $20.

Jackie opened the door after the first knock, tightening her robe, she stepped back to let Zoey in. When the door opened, Zoey's eyes were drooping and she looked to be asleep, standing.

"Zoey!" Jackie snapped.

Her eyes flew open. "Yep!" and she marched inside and plopped down on the couch.

"I think you're missing something."

"what?" she mumbled with her eyes closed again. "Oh my, oh my god." She gasped and hopped up from the couch.

Jackie nodded towards the window that looked over the front yard and out into the street. The taxi driver honked and was waving at them through the window. Zoey threw open the door and ran out to get him out of the taxi.

"I'm so sorry, baby." She stroked his face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she told him. She unbuckled him from the car seat and was rubbing his back. He seemed to finally be tired of crying because the screams weren't as loud, but he was still obviously very discomforted and whiney.

"Here, baby, go to aunt Jackie." She held out in front of her for Jackie to take.

Jackie cleared her throat as she took him. "Friend Jackie, definitely friend Jackie. That's me." After just a minute or two of rubbing his back while his head ley on her shoulder and swaying back and forth, he was silent.

"Woah, how did you do th,,,"Her voice was still adjusted to talking iver his screaming. So Jackie shushed her. "Woah, how did you do that?" she whispered this time.

"You have to be patient. The swaying helps too."

"I tried swaying" Zoey said, feeling failed.

"You have to have a certain rhythm. It takes the new moms a little bit before they get it sometimes."

"I'm normally so good with kids at the hospital." Zoey frowned.

"Babies are a whole different story." Jackie shook her head. "So, have you thought about names yet? He's almost 2 days old now, Zoey. Most babies have a name before they're born."

"I know, I know." She sighed. "I just don't feel like I'll have a name good enough. I mean, If her were a girl I would name him Zoey after myself like Lorelai on Gilmore Girls."

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Try again."

"Uh, I could name him Thomas after my grandfather. We were really close when I was a kid before he passed away." She suggested.

"That sounds good to me." Jackie half smiled, relieved the kid finally had a name.

"Thomas Jack Barkow?"

"That's not.."

"After you!" Zoey cut her off. "Surprise! I think I'll just call him T.J., though."

"Zoey, you don't have to do that." Jackie hung her head. "Really."

"No, I know, I just think T.J. is a cooler, hip name, though. I had a crush on a boy in the 7th grade name TJ." by the way she was slurring while she talked, but still rambling showed how tired she was.

"No, I meant name him after me. Really, don't do that.

"No, don't worry about it. I wanted to name him Jackie, but I thought that could be weird."

Jackie sighed, defeated, then handed the baby carefully back to Zoey, who was lying down with her head resting on a throw pillow. She held him contently on her chest and dozed off on Jackie's sofa. Jackie turned to check the time and it was 3:57am, so she threw the cover over the both of them and headed back up the stairs to bed.


End file.
